1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to crossbows and, more particularly, to an improved crossbow having an active finger guard mechanism and a loaded arrow safety actuator system having an arrow retention device.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the common problems and safety issues with crossbow operation is that, by design and nature, the string of the crossbow moves back and forth in a horizontal plane. This is unlike a conventional bow which moves its string along a vertical plane. As a result of this principle a crossbow is held in almost identical manner to that of a rifle or similar shoulder firearm. In fact, it would be easy to possibly confuse the appearance of the crossbow stock with that of a rifle.
However, unlike with a rifle, in actual operation a typical crossbow requires the use of both hands. The strong or dominate hand is usually placed in the area of the stock that is called the grip and is responsible for not only holding the stock but its primary role is to control the firing control mechanism. The weak or support hand is responsible for supporting, steadying and aiming or aligning the sighting system. This is well know and currently the common principles of most all forms of marksmanship.
These principles of marksmanship facilitate that the support hand be in front of the strong hand and fire control system or trigger. Accepted principles of marksmanship also suggest that the closer the support hand can be to the center of the bore or plane that the projectile travels down the better in that it creates greater accuracy and stability of the weapon can be aimed. When the hand is placed further from the center of the axis then the ability to roll or rotate during sighting is greater.
The well established danger with gripping the stock in its frontal position, also known as the forend, is that on a crossbow the hand and fingers are located under or below the path in which the string travels and back and forth during firing. When the crossbow is cocked or loaded the string of the crossbow is storing a large amount of potential energy. When fired or released, the string moves forward under tremendous force and speed back to its resting or uncocked position.
Because of both its natural firing position and the operation and geometry of the string, it is very easy for most all crossbow users to inadvertently get his fingers or thumb from the support hand in the way of the string path. This can cause great bodily harm and injury. Due to similarities in stock design and marksmanship principles and previous use and or experiences with rifles, this risk to the crossbow user is very great. With rifles this danger does not exist because the support hand is well behind the muzzle or end that the projectile may exit where any potential risk could arise.
It is common, and a well known fact, that parts of the support hand, digits and or thumb are frequently placed and left in the path of the string. In this condition the hand in the path of the string is simply waiting to be impacted and or damaged when the string is allowed to be released forward during the natural and normal firing cycle. As evidence of this widely known and common danger, crossbow manufacturers continue to apply warnings directly to their products and to operation and safety manuals warning of the great potential danger.
Occasionally, manufacturers have tried to haphazardly address the problem by designing stocks or elements within their stocks that attempt to force or locate the support hand well below the string path. While this may offer a solution, or aid in reducing the threat, it is not desired by the end user or does not ensure that the end user will actually place his support hand in the designed area. The forend areas of the stocks have become very massive and heavy and are not comfortable to the end user and reduce the ability to correctly steady and aim the crossbow. Depressions, valleys, grooves and cavities have been incorporated into the stocks as well as raised rails, ribs and or flanges all in an attempt to hold the fingers and thumb out of or below the path of the string.
Today's modern crossbows typically have draw weights in excess of 150 pounds and may be as high as 200 or more pounds of force and can easily be cocked by hand. Drawing the crossbow by hand is quick and does not require the use of time consuming aids and or complicated expensive accessories. One in the art would assume that a solution to keeping the fingers out of the string path would be to place a large flange outward from the stock for some length to block or guard the fingers from entering the string path. The problem with this type of approach is that it widens the track portion of the stock which the arrow sits in and is in the center of the string's path forward. If this area was to be widened over or above the proposed gripping area, which again there is no way to assure that the end user would actually grip the crossbow stock in the intended area, it would interrupt the smooth surface that is used as a guide to ensure the crossbow is cocked on center or symmetrical. As the string is drawn rearward the angle and or pinch placed on the hands and fingers becomes greater the further back. The addition of such a flange which would be wide enough and long enough to allow ample protection of the fingers throughout the string path would cause an excessive, almost unbearable pinch and pressure on the hands/fingers to the point that cocking the crossbow by hand would be impossible.
Another common problem with conventional crossbows involves arrow retention springs. An arrow retention spring is used for retaining an arrow within the track of the barrel prior to activation of the bowstring release mechanism. Conventional arrow retention devices have several problems, one of which includes producing noise upon firing, particularly a ‘pinging’ sound upon activation of the bowstring release mechanism which discharges the arrow from the crossbow. Any sort of noise when firing a crossbow is undesirable and may scare away potential quarry.
Another problem with conventional arrow retention springs includes user manipulation of the arrow retention spring. Conventional arrow retention springs require user manipulation in order to effectively retain an arrow. Most arrow retention springs are made of a type of steel and must be manually bent in an upward direction in order for an arrow to have enough space to pass under and be retained by the retention spring. Not only does the process of manually manipulating the arrow retention spring waste the user's time and require labor, but the manual manipulation increases the variability in the accuracy of the crossbow due to the variation in tunability of the retention spring which is highly undesirable by hunters.
Yet another common problem and safety issue with crossbow operation occurs when a crossbow is fired without a loaded bolt or arrow which is called a dry fire. Crossbow beginners are at a higher risk of dry firing a crossbow because of their inexperience with using crossbows and beginners may not even be aware that dry firing a bow is dangerous to themselves or their crossbows. Further, a dry fire can occur if a user is distracted while trying to cock or load the bowstring and the bowstring is released before it travels the complete string path to the cocked position, or if a user accidentally fires the cross bow before he loads the arrow or bolt.
Dry firing a crossbow can be dangerous to the user and the crossbow itself. When a crossbow is dry fired, there is a chance that the crossbow limbs, cams, string, axles, and other components can be damaged rendering the crossbow inoperable. Further, because the string is released with such great force, there is a chance that the crossbow components may disengage from the crossbow and injure the user.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. Of considerable relevance is U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,418, issued in the name of Bednar et al. While a grip guard member that extends outwardly in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the is incorporated into this invention in combination, other elements are different enough as to make the combination distinguished over the inventors' own prior art. Also of relevance is U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,543, issued in the name of Maleski et al. While a crossbow dry fire arrestor is disclosed, the dry fire arrestor is incorporated into the trigger sear and trigger mechanism, and the present invention utilizes a dry fire arrestor which is distinguishable over the prior art.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus for and method of operating a crossbow in a safe and effective manner while providing a more effective and efficient loaded arrow safety actuator having an arrow retention device.